The men’s first round of the 2019 BNP Paribas Open will offer several interesting matchups.
Indian Wells Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Felix Auger-Aliassime vs Cameron Norrie
Fun duel between two players who are rapidly improving. Indeed, both the Canadian teenager and the former Texas Christian University standout have slashed their ranking in half over the past year. While Auger-Aliassime is without a doubt the better prospect in the long run, I think he may struggle after competing on clay last week, whereas Norrie collected several impressive wins en route to the Acapulco semifinal. Stefanos Tsitsipas awaits the winner in the round of 64.
Prediction: Norrie in 3
Taylor Fritz vs Steve Johnson
Even though Johnson is ranked above Fritz, the University of Southern California product appears to have lost his Trojan mojo. The harsh reality is that he hasn’t defeated a Top 100 opponent since the US Open. Meanwhile, Fritz has kicked off the 2019 campaign on a good note with wins over the likes of John Isner or Gael Monfils.
Prediction: Fritz in 2
Taro Daniel vs Dusan Lajovic
Bittersweet draw for the Japanese. On one hand, he surely keeps fond memories from his Indian Wells experience in 2018 when he upended Novak Djokovic by a convincing 6-1 in the third. On the other hand, Daniel is winless in three meetings (including Challengers) against Lajovic. Hence, the 28-year-old Serbian should be favoured to avenge his superstar compatriot, but he is also going through a tumultuous stretch, having won zero ATP matches since Doha, two full months ago. For this reason, I expect Daniel to work his magic in the desert again.
Prediction: Daniel in 3
Frances Tiafoe vs Nicolas Jarry
Just like Lajovic, Jarry hasn’t won a singles match (not counting the Davis Cup) since the opening week of the year in Doha. The Chilean failed to defend the 150 points from his Sao Paulo final and he must be itching to win matches. On the other side of the net will be Tiafoe, an indecipherable enigma himself. The 21-year-old is currently ranked No. 35, but according to Tennis Abstract’s Elo Rating, he is just the 53rd best player in the world. Which Tiafoe will show up in Palm Springs? The one who upset both Kevin Anderson and Grigor Dimitrov at the Australian Open or the one who lost in straights to Jason Jung in the first round of the New York Open? He likes the big stage, that’s for sure.
Prediction: Tiafoe in 2
Tomas Berdych vs Feliciano Lopez
This will be the 14th career meeting between these two seasoned veterans. Despite having a notoriously weaker career than the Czech, the Spaniard holds a 7-6 head to head advantage. Although Berdych hasn’t recovered his pre-injury form just yet, I feel like the end of the journey is way closer for the hard-serving Lopez. Prediction: Berdych in 2
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